Friday, December 15, 2006

It's Time To Stop Shaming Latinas

The Puerto Rico Herald featured this article. It is an article about the way Latinas are stereotyped. It was written after several articles have appeared about Latinos(as) converting to Islam. One big doubt I have that the author of this particular article never considered is that the sisters who were interviewed may have mentioned many factors relating to their conversion, and the reported simplied focused in on the most controversial things mentioned (ie., body and stereotypes)

As anyone knows, religion is a personal subject. It ranks high on that list of things you never discuss openly if you want to keep peace in the family.

When someone makes a decision to convert to a particular religion, you expect their reasoning to be based on how spiritually fulfilled their newfound religion makes them feel, not that they won't be seen as sex objects any more.

Yet, that was the reason several Latinas gave to a Christian Science Monitor reporter recently in a story about how more Latinas are converting to Islam.

As it stands now, the Islamic Society of North America says there are only about 40,000 Latino Muslims in the United States. And of the 20,000 who choose Islam as their religion every year, Latinos account for 6 percent, says the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

The anecdotal evidence is pointing to more young Latinas opting for the head-to-toe fashion statement. The reasons they gave the reporter echoed along the same theme: Islam made them feel better about their bodies and themselves. Why?

Maybe because everywhere these young girls look -- on billboard advertisements, music videos, and print advertisements -- Latinas are not only portrayed as hot and sexy, but as expecting men to notice they are.

It is a stereotype of the worst kind.

An infamous advertising campaign last year by Tecate beer enforced such an image with the tagline "Finally a cold Latina." Some Albuquerque high school Latinas saw the billboard every day on their way to school.

These kids exercised their conscience, did their homework and campaigned successfully to persuade Tecate to pull its billboards.

Perhaps the worst offender when it comes to promoting archaic depictions of Latinas as dim-witted, over-sexed bombshells can be found on Spanish-language television.

Comedy shows and comic relief characters on telenovelas show the same kind of "old-world Latina stereotypes" that U.S.-born Latinas have been trying to escape.

Yet, we won't be able to forge new images for ourselves and change how others see us unless networks like Univision and Telemundo start becoming more discriminating in what shows they bring over from Mexico and South America, where most attitudes toward women are still in the Stone Age.

That fact is obvious within 15 minutes of any telenovela where the "attractive" women are dressed suggestively or, if it's a beach scene, with practically nada. The camera always has a way of lingering several seconds too long on someone's bulging bust line or bare backside.The most common misconception that these Spanish-language networks operate under is that by providing familiar programs to their Latino viewers, many of whom are recent arrivals, that they are bringing a little bit of home to the homesick.

Has it occurred to the two networks that it isn't just bleak economic conditions that immigrants are escaping? At least for women, it is a chance to start over in a more progressive country.

And what about the U.S.-born Latinas or those who spent their formative years here?

The message these kinds of shows send them is that Latinas will never escape the old stereotypes because it makes for either a good laugh or ratings eye-candy.

To top it off, not everything translates well either. Shows funny in Mexico and South America can be offensive to U.S. Latinas. Puerto Rican media unions and community groups are petitioning the FCC to deny a license renewal to the island's largest television station, operated by Univision, because of "cultural insensitivity."

It's time that the Spanish-language networks realize that the U.S. Latina is a new breed that demands smart, realistic, original programming and doesn't make us want to hide ourselves with shame.

Marisa Trevino is a contributing columnist with Hispanic Link News Service and author of Latina Lista.

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Disclaimer

This weblog tries to draw from many different ideas, cultures, religions, and methodologies that have helped to shaped whom I am. I may differ with some of the authors of some of material I post or links that I have here. My other blog "Islam is the Sunnah and Sunnah is Islam" is more oriented toward the correct Salafi understanding of Islam.

I appreciate if anyone has any criticism with regards to my blog, that you bring it to my attention.

Khalil

About Me

I am 35 years old, and I adhere to the Salafi methodology/way. I was born in the Bronx to New York Puerto Rican (Catholic) parents. During my teenage years, I starting to learn about my history since of course they don't teach us that in school. As a teenager, I had a lot of interaction with "Latino" and African-American Muslims. That lead to me taking my shahadah during my first semester of college. I eventually earned a bachelor's of art with a double major in Arabic and political science at the State University of New York at Binghamton. My concentration was in the Middle East and North Africa Studies. In 2000, I was offered a scholarship to study at Umm Al-Qura University. I studied there from 2000 to 2005. May Allah reward King Fahd (rahimahullah) for giving me a scholarship to teach in Saudi, Amin. Alhamdulillah, I have been fortunate to have sat with several scholars in Saudi Arabia. I currently live in Saudi Arabia with my wife and two children. I also hold a master's in TESOL.